At the present African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, five Nigerians lost their lives on Wednesday while watching the semi-final match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and Bafana Bafana of South Africa.
The match was stressful, and many Nigerians got anxious and emotional as a result of some highlights, such as South Africa’s penalty being awarded, Ola Aina’s missed penalty, Victor Osimhen’s cancelled goal, and other incidents that resulted in the deaths of spectators.
Following the defeats, a few medical professionals met with newsmen and discussed what could cause someone to pass away while watching a particularly intense football game.
A few illnesses listed below can result in fatalities during intense matches:
1. Stroke and heart attack
Dr. Ramon Moronkola, a consultant cardiologist at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), suggested that heart attacks or strokes could be the cause of the recent series of unexpected deaths that occurred while watching a football game.
“Any form of excitement can tilt such people towards a heart attack, especially for those who develop heart failure or who have had what is known as Ischemic Heart Disease, which is some form of blockage in their heart,” added Moronkola.
2. Joy and sorrow
According to Moronkola, enthusiasm or grief can result in unexpected death, especially if there is an underlying medical condition that is either detected or not.
People can pass away unexpectedly from excitement or sadness. Most people who pass away from excitement have a cardiovascular condition that they may not be aware of at the time.
Additionally, certain persons are more vulnerable to experiencing arrhythmias during periods of high emotion.
“Arrhythmias refer to irregular heartbeat and irregular heart rhythm, which can potentially result in abrupt death.”
Prof. Augustine Odili, the President of the Nigerian Cardiac Society, also spoke and expressed his deepest sympathies to the family. We recently learned that yesterday’s field death included a Nigerian resident of Cote d’Ivoire. We have verified that he is a businessman from Anambra state.
“It’s possible that they experienced a heart attack, which is known to be brought on by emotional outbursts.
Once more, it’s critical to discuss how and when each of them passed away. I found out that two of them perished after a Nigerian player scored and the goal was overturned, allowing South Africa to score and force a penalty shootout.
Avoidance
While urging the rapid resuscitation of emergency response and preparedness measures in Nigeria, Moronkola also stated that everyone should have regular health examinations as a preventative measure against such unplanned incidents of sudden death.
Nothing can be beyond routine examinations, he stated; even if you don’t have any symptoms or pain, it’s still a good idea to get checked. It is in times of peace that you prepare for times of conflict, thus even if you are well and exhibit no symptoms, it is still advisable to have routine examinations in order to identify any underlying problems. There isn’t another option.
Try getting frequent health exams so you can find out what your background condition is and take the necessary care of it. When an individual with uncontrolled hypertension experiences an emotional upswing, their blood pressure will skyrocket in contrast to someone with well-managed hypertension.